Kroger Fights AGs' $10M Fee Ask In Albertsons Merger Case

By Rachel Riley

Kroger and Albertsons are urging an Oregon federal judge to reject a $10 million legal fee request from nine attorneys general who joined the Federal Trade Commission in successfully challenging a proposed $24.6 billion merger of the grocery giants, saying the plaintiff states played a "minimal role" in the litigation.

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Split 7th Circ. Refuses To Revive Kohl's Consumer Arbitration

By Caroline Simson

The Seventh Circuit has declined to revive arbitration claims against Kohl's over alleged false discounts that were nixed by the American Arbitration Association after the department store chain refused to register its arbitration agreement, a prerequisite for the claims to proceed.

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Vrdolyak Firm Loses Bid To End Ex-Staff's Wiretapping Claims

By Matt Perez

A Chicago federal judge on Friday said former Vrdolyak Law Group LLC employees can keep pursuing most of their claims that the firm secretly recorded workers' phone calls.

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Google Says Jewish Ex-Worker's Race Claims Don't Add Up

By Grace Elletson

Google LLC urged an Illinois federal judge to cut race bias claims from a former salesperson's suit alleging he was discriminated against due to his Jewish identity, arguing that he failed to connect his religious practices to his race or ethnicity.

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Rooftop Bar Owner Can't Beat Chicago Cubs' Ticket Claims

By Celeste Bott

The owner of a rooftop venue can't win judgment on the pleadings on certain claims in the Chicago Cubs' lawsuit alleging the owner violated the team's intellectual property rights by selling unlicensed viewing tickets for games, an Illinois federal judge has ruled, rejecting the owner's argument that the team doesn't possess a property right to its live games.

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THC Potency Suit Against Cresco Ends

By Jonathan Capriel

Cannabis giant Cresco Labs Inc. has brought a permanent end to a proposed class action accusing it of mislabeling products to get around state-mandated THC potency limits in Illinois, securing a stipulated dismissal following a wave of unfavorable court rulings against consumers.

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Ill. Builder Says Union Forum Had No Power To Issue Award

By Corey Rothauser

Newberg Construction Co. Inc. has asked an Illinois federal court to vacate an arbitration award issued in favor of the International Union of Operating Engineers, Local 150, arguing the decision was issued without any valid agreement binding the company to the union.

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2 AI Snafus Show Why Attys Can't Outsource Judgment

The recent incident involving Sullivan & Cromwell where citations in a filed motion were fabricated by artificial intelligence, as well as a punitive ruling from the Sixth Circuit in U.S. v. Farris, demonstrate that the obligation to supervise AI has belonged and always will belong to lawyers, says John Powell at the Kentucky School Boards Association.

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Bondi Spurs Ethics Doubts By Using DOJ Official As Counsel

By Courtney Bublé

Harmeet Dhillon, an official with the U.S. Department of Justice, is representing former Attorney General Pam Bondi in proceedings before the House oversight committee, which Democrats on the panel say raises ethical quandaries.

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Attys Defend $85M Fee Bid Blasted By Judge In Google Deal

By Bonnie Eslinger

Consumers who pursued an antitrust class action against Google urged the California federal judge who criticized their 98,000 hours billed as "grotesquely bloated" to approve their $85 million fee request, emphasizing Friday that they filed suit a year before state attorneys general joined the case and maintained a leading role in the litigation.

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Military Atty Can Prosecute Minn. Civilian Despite Regulations

By Jack Karp

A Minnesota federal judge won't stop a military attorney from being appointed to prosecute a civilian accused of assaulting federal immigration officers, despite finding that the appointment violates binding U.S. Department of Defense regulations.

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DOJ Apology For Hidden Warrant Not Satisfying For Judge

By Tom Lotshaw

A Rhode Island federal judge, whom the U.S. Department of Homeland Security criticized for releasing a noncitizen with an alleged overseas warrant for homicide, was dissatisfied with an assistant U.S. attorney's apology for not disclosing the warrant to the court beforehand.

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Wash. Bar Task Force Spotlights Atty Mental Health Issues

By Rachel Riley

A Washington State Bar Association wellness survey of roughly 900 members found that nearly 10% said they experienced suicidal thoughts or self-harm in the past year, and about 20% expressed concerns about their alcohol consumption, a task force reported to bar leadership on Saturday.

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Lewis Brisbois Gets Ex-Paralegal's Claims Sent To Arbitration

By Adrian Cruz

A Florida state judge determined that a former Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith LLP paralegal has to arbitrate her claims accusing the firm of defamation and costing her a job at another firm.

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Sinema Pans 'Gross Distortion' By Ex-Guard's Wife In Tryst Suit

By Abigail Harrison

Former Arizona U.S. Sen. Kyrsten Sinema on Friday doubled down on her contention that a North Carolina federal court lacks jurisdiction over a lawsuit alleging she destroyed a marriage by sending lascivious texts to her ex-security guard.

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Analysis

DOJ's In-House Detention Legal Aid Plan Is MIA

By Courtney Bublé

A year ago, U.S. Department of Justice officials said the government would be taking over a program historically run by nonprofits to provide legal orientations and referrals for pro bono representation for adults in immigration detention facilities. But those involved in the program say the Trump administration hasn't taken any steps to run the program.

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2nd Circ. Raises Concern Over Challenge To NY US Atty's DQ

By Stewart Bishop

A Second Circuit panel on Monday voiced concern over the U.S. Department of Justice's argument that a now-former acting U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of New York was serving lawfully when he subpoenaed the New York Attorney General's office over a pair of cases disfavored by President Donald Trump.

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Maduro Gets June Court Date After US Relents On Atty Fees

By Pete Brush

A Manhattan federal judge on Monday directed former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro to return to court in June, after he and his wife, Cilia Flores, reached an apparent agreement with the Trump administration to access Venezuela government funds for their legal fees.

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Mass. Justices Uneasy Over Judge's Handling Of ICE Incident

By Julie Manganis

Massachusetts' top court on Monday appeared concerned that a state district court judge in 2018 offered to detain a defendant sought by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, as the justices considered a public reprimand.

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Atty Seeks Docs To Back Ogletree DQ Bid In Bias Suit

By Adrian Cruz

A Georgia attorney on Monday asked a federal judge to allow discovery related to her bid to have Ogletree Deakins Nash Smoak & Stewart PC disqualified from defending ADT LLC against discrimination claims while concurrently defending Microsoft Corp. in the attorney's own pregnancy bias suit.

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Longtime South Fla. Federal Judge James King Dies At 98

By Carolina Bolado

U.S. District Judge James Lawrence King, a Nixon appointee who spent more than half a century on the federal bench and helped shape the Southern District of Florida, died Saturday at the age of 98.

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Calif. District OKs Civil Court Audio Feeds Including Musk Trial

By Dorothy Atkins

The Northern District of California modified local court rules late Friday to allow judges to stream audio for civil jury trials in the district, accompanying its announcement with a separate notice that the high-profile Elon Musk v. Sam Altman trial over OpenAI's for-profit conversion is available to access via audio stream.

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